


Night Terrors

by Crazyhotsoup



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Arthur Whump, Death, Early Days, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Graphic Description of Corpses, Nightmares, Pre-Canon, Whump, Young Arthur Morgan, Young Dutch van der Linde
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 05:08:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26540110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazyhotsoup/pseuds/Crazyhotsoup
Summary: "He was no longer his father, couldn’t be. He had watched Lyle hang."Arthur has a nightmare
Relationships: Arthur Morgan & Dutch van der Linde
Comments: 5
Kudos: 59





	Night Terrors

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Darling_Jack](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darling_Jack/gifts).



> You'll probably see it, Jack, but a large part of this was pulled directly from real life. The nightmare is actually inspired by one that I had a few nights ago.

“ _Arthur_ ”, the voice was a cold rough noise, like stone scraping over stone. “ _Arthur!_ ”, the voice called again. Stretched out syllables bored into him.

He looked up at the looming figure of his father. Lyle’s blue eyes had bloodied. His neck bore a deep red rope mark. 

“ _You let me hang, boy._ ” Arthur squeezed his eyes shut, scrambling backward on his hands and feet. “ _Look at me when I’m speaking to you._ ”

Arthur shook his head.

His back hit the corner of his room. 

“ _Look. At. Me._ ” Spit sprayed onto his face. Arthur turned away from the figure. 

_He was no longer his father, couldn’t be. He had watched Lyle hang._

“ _Arthur, look what you did to me._ ” His eyes opened of their own volition, taking in the sight before him. 

Lyle’s face was speckled with red pinpricks. His lips were dark. His eyes were clouded and bloodied. 

“ _You did this to me. You did this to me, Arthur. You did this. You did this._ ” Arthur shrank away from the screamed words. Two large hands gripped his neck and he tried to thrash free. 

Arthur flew up in the bedroll. His sweat-soaked shirt cooled in the night air. 

“Arthur?” The voice was quiet, sleepy. 

He silently cursed. He had forgotten about the older man’s presence. It had been too late to set up separate tents. So, they had decided to share one. 

Dutch rolled over in his own bedroll. “Nightmare?”

“No.” His voice gave him away as it wavered. He shook his head and turned away from the older man. 

“Arthur, you weren’t exactly quiet. Damn near hit me in the face.” He cringed in embarrassment and curled in on himself.

His heart pounded in his chest. His mind raced as it recalled the details. The image of Lyle wouldn’t dissipate, despite him shaking his head. 

“It was nothing.” The sound of shuffling filled his ears. Dutch’s hand landed on his shoulder and he violently jerked away from him. “I’m fine, Dutch.” 

“You don’t gotta lie to me, son.” Arthur shook his head again, willing Lyle’s dead eyes to go away. 

“I’m a grown man, Dutch. Don’t get nightmares anymore.” The older man scoffed.

“Son,” He felt arms wrap around him, pulling him into Dutch’s front. “We all get nightmares. You’re not even nineteen yet, still got plenty of your life ahead of you. A nightmare doesn’t make you any less of a man.” 

He felt tears well in his eyes. 

“Was it the same one again?” That did it. 

Arthur’s shoulders shook. The tears poured out of his eyes and streamed down his face. 

“Oh, Arthur.” He twisted in Dutch’s grasp, wrapping his arms around the older man and burying his face in his chest. "My boy, my sweet sweet boy." 

“He won’t leave me alone, Dutch.” A large hand smoothed his sweaty hair. “Been so long, and he won’t leave me alone. _I don’t even fucking love him._ ” The last sentence had come out as a vicious snarl. 

“You don’t gotta love him. You don’t gotta forgive him. You don’t owe him anything, son.” A second bout of tears soaked into Dutch’s front. 

“Arthur,” Dutch’s hand rested on the side of his neck, his thumb ran over the skin there. “You’re better than he ever was.” 

Arthur snorted into Dutch’s shirt. 

“Now,” Arthur sat back and watched as Dutch dug through his side of the tent. “Let’s see if my canteen still has some water in it.”


End file.
